2016 annual report of - constant...
TRANSCRIPT
2016
Annual Report
of
25th Annual Congregational Meeting
January 29, 2017
5:45 pm
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Twenty-Fourth Annual Meeting of the Congregation
Ark and Dove
Presbyterian Church U.S.A.
January 29, 2017
OPEN WITH PRAYER
ESTABLISH QUORUM
APPROVE MINUTES OF CONGREGATIONAL MEETINGS, see pp. 3 - 4
Twenty-fourth Annual Meeting of February 21, 2016
Special Meeting of the Congregation NONE
ANNUAL REPORTS, see pp. 5 - 21
Motion needed to receive annual reports
STATISTICAL REPORT, see p. 23
EXPRESSIONS OF THANKSGIVING
INCOME AND EXPENSE REPORTS, BALANCE SHEETS AND BUDGETS, see pp. 24 - 32
Motion needed to receive financial reports and budgets
THE TERMS OF CALL FOR THE MINISTERS FOR 2016, see p. 22
ELECTION OF CONGREGATIONAL MEMBERS TO NOMINATING TEAM
MOTION: THAT ALL SITTING ELDERS AND THE CLERK OF SESSION BE DESIGNATED AS
TRUSTEES OF ARK AND DOVE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH FROM FEB 1, 2017 TO JAN 31, 2018.
NEW BUSINESS
CLOSE WITH PRAYER
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Ark and Dove Presbyterian Church
Minutes of 24th Annual Congregational Meeting Minutes
Feb 21, 2016 8:00pm
Quorum is declared (50 present; 28 required)
Moderator Pastor Tim Stern opens in prayer
Minutes of 2015 Annual meeting and all Special Congregational Meetings were reviewed; no corrections
proposed. Moderator Stern moves that all minutes are approved, second by Julia Kirby. Motion passes.
Review reports of all Ministries (Facilities, Education, Outreach & Communications, Discipleship, Mission,
Worship, Deacons). Moderator Stern moves to receive and approve all reports, second from Doug Walcutt. No
questions or discussion. Motion passes.
Review Statistical Report.
Ryan Stavely expresses thanks to Mike Davie (many tasks to keep the building running) and Rob Yeager
(RiverWise Congregations).
Congregation thanks Dot Bruno, Russ Hester, and Ann Hirschy for serving as Deacons this year.
Jim Cooper expresses thanks for Chris Wilkens and Cheri Hahn for preparing snacks; plus Amy Tardiff for
running Godly Play.
Congregation expresses thanks to Brooks Emrick for being Treasurer for so many years; plus Alta Paronto for
providing office support.
Deb Saylor expresses thanks to Pastors Jon and Tim; Judy Cooper; Paul Doughty; Rebecca Bell Echols and Mark
Edwards; Christine Caufield Noll, Greg Makar, Joan Berry, Linnie Girdner, Ellen Makar, and Ryan Stavely for
being Team Leaders for various worship activities.
Donna thanks Cathy Debus (New Members coordinator), Greg Makar (Greeter coordinator) and Amy Stavely
(events coordinator).
Kim Champagne thanks Amy Tardiff for running Godly Play; Abby Boudreau and Amy Tardiff who co-lead
Logos Youth Ministry; Sarah Salkeld, Julie Devers, Christie Yeager, Laura Willoughby, Linnie Girdner; Pastors
Tim and Jon.
Amy Carskadon thanks Doug Walcutt (Nominating Team); Karen Dodson (Stewardship Campaign); and Sam
Dewey (Equipping the Saints).
Linnie Girdner thanks members of APNT, elders, and Pastor Tim.
Brian Boudreau thanks Logos crew and Sunday School crew; and the 2015 Board of Deacons, especially Russ,
Dot and Ann; plus Cheryl, Bill, Sue, Lindsay, Judy, Cathy and Greg; plus the Nominating Team.
Pastor Jon thanks the APNT, Amy Tardiff, Kim Champagne, Linnie Girdner, Abby Boudreau, Donna Anderson,
Amy Stavely, Alta Paronto, Mondee, Pastor Tim, and many others.
Christine Caufield Noll thanks all mission workers, Greg and Ellen Makar, Maddie Beaudry, Sarah Salkeld,
Brooks Emrick, fellow elders, Brian Boudreau, Pastor Tim and Pastor Jon, Donna Anderson, Shelley Franklin,
Linnie Girdner, Paula Sparks.
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Pastor Tim thanks Kelly Burnett for shepherding the Stephen Ministry program.
Review Income and Expense Reports for 2015, budget for 2016, Balance Sheets. Questions on sabbatical planning
(every 7 years recommended by Presbytery); donated “in kind” items such as Sunday morning snacks; teacher
training and supply expenses; Christmas Joy offering timing of disbursements; FiF statement and balance Sheet,
Mission ministry Income/Expense statement; and Logos Income /Expense Statement. Doug Walcutt moves to
receive and approve all budget and balance sheets, Amy Carskadon seconds. No further discussion.
Wendy Wellington moves salary package for Pastor Tim and Pastor Jon (including 2% raises); Julia Kirby
seconds. No questions or discussion. Motion passes. Wendy tells the congregation that all other staff (Rebecca,
Mark and Mondee) were also give a 2% raise, plus our child care provider Amanda’s salary was increased per
satisfactory completion of her trial period.
We elect a Nominating Team. Sitting Elder - Amy Carskadon; sitting Deacon - Lindsay Hoxie, Doug Walcutt is
a former Elder. We nominate the following members: Bill Champagne, Helen Wilkens, Julie Devers, and Paula
Sparks. Wendy Wellington moves to close nominations, Steve Debus seconds. These 4 congregational members
are elected by unanimous vote.
Moderator Stern moves to elect all sitting elders and the Clerk of Session be designated as Trustees of Ark and
Dove Presbyterian Church from Feb 1 2016 to Jan 31 2017; Julia Kirby seconds. Motion passes.
We recognize Boy Scout Pack 769 for funding a Heifer goat, in honor of accommodating their space requirements.
Donna Anderson moves to adjourn at 6:50 PM, second by Mike Davie. Motion passes. Pastor Jon closes in prayer.
Ellen Makar Rev. Tim Stern
Clerk of Session Moderator
Respectfully submitted,
Ellen Makar, Clerk of Session, [email protected]
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ANNUAL REPORTS
ASSOCIATE PASTOR
Worship
In 2016, I regularly prepared and participated in weekly worship services in which I delivered 24 sermons, 31
children’s sermons, administered communion, officiated in 2 baptisms, and 2 new members welcoming
celebrations. Over the year, I worked with Mark Edwards, Rebecca Bell Echols, Debbie Saylor, Pastor Tim,
among others to provide for regular participation of children and youth in worship. Early in the year, I coordinated
Youth Sunday with the confirmation class and LOGOS children and youth. During Lent, I planned and
participated in the Ash Wednesday service, Taize services, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday services. Over
the year, I planned and performed 2 wedding celebrations. I led 1 internment service and participated in 1 funeral
service. I participated in the RiverWise Project blessing ceremony. With Pastor Tim, I participated in 2 funeral
services and 2 committals. In the fall, I planned and participated in Campfire Worship alongside several worship
leaders. During Advent and Christmas, I prepared liturgies and planned and organized Children’s Christmas Eve
service in collaboration with several leaders.
Activities and Administration
This year I participated in 25 staff meetings. I regularly met with Pastor Tim regarding the range of church
business. I developed 2016-2017 goals and objectives for ministry and discussed them with Pastor Tim. With the
administration/personnel team, I participated in my annual review. I attended monthly Session meetings,
participating accordingly. On a weekly basis, I contributed to church communications on Facebook, the e-Arkive,
and the Arkive.
Christian Education
On a regular basis, I met with CE Elder Kim Champagne for the purposes of planning and discussing all aspects
of Christian Education at Ark and Dove. Kim and I worked together in seeking and ordering curriculum for
Sunday School and LOGOS. With CE leaders, I organized Adult Education forums to discuss Adult Christian
Education and Spiritual Formation opportunities. In the first part of the year, I participated in leadership of the
Open View class, led by Betsy Baer. In the fall, we tried another offering, “Worship Refresh,” which sought to
delve deeper into the worship service each Sunday. This course had varied attendance. Throughout the year, I led
Bible studies, Lenten small groups, a class called “Reckoning with Race,” and Adult Vacation Bible School. I
participated in the Antiracism and Social Equity forums. In coordination with Kim Champagne, I equipped
Sunday School teachers with teaching resources, occasionally teaching myself. In the summer, Kim and I
coordinated to provide weekly Sunday School for all ages. In the fall, we formed a High School Sunday School
youth leadership team that teaches every week on difficult subjects. Amanda Crose, our nursery coordinator, and
I maintain regular communication regarding the nursery. I led weekly confirmation classes, confirming 6 students
and started a new confirmation class of 5. As part of the LOGOS board led by Amy Tardiff, I planned and
discussed aspects of the LOGOS ministry. The board decided to reorganize the LOGOS schedule. Senior High
LOGOS was moved to Sunday night and has been organized as a separate program. This move dramatically
increased participation among senior high youth. In LOGOS, I participated as a Bible Time teacher (K-2;7-8),
occasional Worship Arts leader, Dinner Dean, and Recreation leader. In the summer, I attended and participated
in the GenOn Youth Summit. I maintained regular communication with GenOn leaders regarding LOGOS and
youth ministry. This summer we brought back Vacation Bible School; “Water All Around the World” was well
attended. I am thankful for the many leaders who made this big event possible. There were over 30 leaders
involved! In January, I participated in the Progressive Youth Ministry Conference.
Outreach and Connections
I met with OC Elder Donna Anderson and team leader Amy Stavely on a semi-regular basis regarding Outreach
and Connection opportunities at Ark and Dove. Helped in organizing and leading 2 planning meetings for
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Outreach and Connections. I participated in leading New Members/Inquirers classes. I maintained an outreach
and connections schedule with Tim Stern, Donna Anderson, and Mondee. This made it possible to communicate
with new visitors on a regular basis. I met with several regular attendees on church membership. In coordination
with others, I developed various advertisement for Ark and Dove activities. Over the course of the year, I helped
plan, organize and/or participated in connection opportunities including youth fellowship, Voyagers, Shrove
Tuesday, Family Night, the Pentagon Winds concert, the 5k Running Group, Annual Church Picnic, Christmas
Revels, and 25th anniversary celebrations. I also worked on web communications.
Mission
In the summer, I coordinated and participated in the Center mini-mission trip. I attended mission planning
meetings led by Christine Caufield-Noll. At VBS, we raised money for Living Water for the World and led the
children in caring for the rain garden. I participated in the ministry of Winter Relief. I helped organize “Souper
Bowl of Caring.” At the end of the year, I began planning for Spring/Summer 2017 mission opportunities for
youth. I also planned youth mission opportunities. In the late fall, I participated in Mission Ministry conversation
with World Relief.
Discipleship
I co-led Equipping the Saints meetings with Pastor Tim and collaborated with the Discipleship Ministry in the
planning of those events. I also collaborated with the Discipleship team in stewardship planning, including a
stewardship sermon.
Pastoral Care
This year I contributed to the pastoral care efforts of the congregation by meeting with friends and members of
Ark and Dove at church, home, and in hospital. I also maintained weekly pastoral care through phone and e-mail.
I attended monthly Deacons meetings and participated accordingly. Along with other leaders, I met with families
regarding baptisms and funeral/internment services. I supported the Stephen Ministry, most importantly in
attending the Leadership Training Course in January 2016. I met with two couples on a regular basis for pre-
marital conversations.
Presbytery/Denomination
I attended all gatherings of the Presbytery in 2016. This year I took on the leadership role of the Bay Area
Disciples convener. I regularly participated in meetings pertaining to this role. I have also joined the Presbytery’s
Committee on Preparation for Ministry and participated in the monthly meetings. In the fall, I completed healthy
boundaries training required for all clergy. In October, I participated in the Pastoral Development Seminar, put
on by First Presbyterian Church in Sarasota, FL. I met with members of Presbytery on a regular basis for
leadership development, mentoring, and discussion. I attended the 2016 clergy retreat. Along with many leaders,
I attended a Thriving Congregations seminar. With other Ark and Dove leaders, I attended the 2016 Compassion,
Peace, and Justice Training Day.
Word of Gratitude
I am incredibly grateful to participate in leadership at Ark and Dove. I have been deeply moved, enriched, and
encouraged by this community in 2016. I am so thankful for a year full of friendship, fellowship, education,
spiritual growth, and worship. As I often tell the Session, I brag about this community wherever I go. In this New
Year, I look back in thanksgiving and look forward to great adventures in faithful living with a wonderful staff,
group of leaders, and congregation.
Respectfully submitted,
John Nelson, Associate Pastor, [email protected]
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OUTREACH AND CONNECTION MINISTRY
The Welcome and Connections ministry is responsible for inviting people to Ark and Dove; welcoming
them from the time a visitor comes to church for the first time until they attend the new members class;
and connecting members and visitors to the church and each other.
Outreach
In the outreach area, the team undertook several activities this year to reach out to our community. With a limited
budget, the team regularly used Facebook posts and boosts (ads) to reach out to neighbors and friends. Ads
includes those for major events and holidays including Easter, Revels concert and Christmas events. We produced
and mailed a postcard just before Advent that highlighted activities for the month of December. A larger budget
would allow the team to print and mail additional materials or use other forms of advertising. We also are planning
for more outreach to community events such as Odenton Day in 2017.
Welcome
Welcome takes many forms at Art and Dove. We have a greeters team, led by Greg Makar who provide a warm
welcome each Sunday for our worship attendees. Our greeters this year are: Donna Anderson, Janet Dabbs, Judy
& Jim Cooper, Charles Lawrence, Howe Family, Laura Talbert, Annetta Fenstermacher, Kelly Burnett, Kathy
Miller, Jane Biondolillo and Greg Makar. We welcomed 18 new members in 2016 thanks to the efforts of Cathy
Debus who organized several new member breakfast events. We began delivering mugs again to first time
visitors around Easter with a team of people that includes Paula Sparks, Claire Henderson, Erika Sealing, Donna
Anderson and Laura and J Willoughby-Perry.
Connect
Efforts to connect members and visitors to each other and our congregation takes many forms. Our Sunday
fellowship activities are organized by Chris Wilkens and Cheri Hahn at the 9:30 service and Amy Benson at the
11:00 service (aided by a pool of volunteers at the 11:00 service.)
Ark and Dove had several fellowship events in 2016, led by Amy Stavely, including: Congregational meeting
in January; Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper (thanks to Ray Bussey for his help organizing); Family Fun Night
Pot Luck, June 18 led by Nicole Howe; Pentagon Winds concert in September with 125 people in attendance;
Church Picnic/Campfire Worship combined in October; and the Revels concert in December.
Fellowship groups that have formed or are meeting including the Voyagers Men’s Group led by Josh Ederheimer,
Doug Walcutt and Ray Bussey. This group has held several breakfast meetings over the course of the year. The
Women’s Night Out group met several times throughout the year. Pastor Jon organized a 5K running group for
a Piney Orchard event in December and Joan Berry and Frances Keyes are leading a seniors group which started
to take shape this year. Erika Sealing led our time and talents team this year with surveys distributed periodically
throughout the year to determine interest that members and friends might want to be involved at Ark and Dove.
Initial planning efforts for our 25th anniversary took place in late 2016 with 25th anniversary remembrances
incorporated into the Revels concert.
We look forward to continuing to invite new people to our congregation, share the love of Christ with them and
ensure they feel connected to others in our church family.
Respectfully submitted,
Donna Anderson, Outreach and Connections Elder, [email protected]
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WORSHIP MINISTRY
The past three years as the Worship Elder have meant so much to me. I have been so blessed getting to
know so many wonderful people. Thank you to everyone! There were over 165 people involved in all aspects
of worship this year. Words cannot express how truly special Pastor Tim, Pastor Jon, Rebecca, Mark, and
Mondee have been to work with, and I will truly miss working with them on a regular basis. Judy Cooper
and Paul Doughty are the worship ministry team leads and they are the “best.” I could not have asked for
two better ministry team leads.
Worship Equipping and Lay Readers These teams have been led by Judy Cooper. The Worship Equipping team prepares materials to enable the lay
readers to lead in the services, and prepares the “Worship Scape” of the sanctuary, which includes hanging
banners appropriate time of the liturgical year. The team this year has included Sue Hanburger, Lindsey Hoxie,
Anthony Hoxie, Brooke and Dave Hisle, Peggi Ziegler, Paula Griggs and Debbie Bates. Debbie Saylor has been
doing the schedule for this team and Judy has been setting up weekly reminders. We had a really wonderful
meeting this year to talk about what has been working, what we could be working to make things better and we
added a new element to the Worship Scape. Thanks to Vaughn Brown, he helped us this new element. We have
added the liturgical colors to the pulpit. During the change of the seasons the team will be changing the color
boards in the pulpit.
The Lay readers offer prayers and read scriptures during our services. As part of this ministry, Adell Gaurin has
scheduled the lay readers: Kathy Miller, Steve Debus, Christy Yeager, Laura Doughty, Cathy Debus, Stan Houck,
Brian Boudreau, Linda Lewis, Paul Mays, Carla Thomas, Adell Gaurin, Denise Grassel, Aimee Schafer, David
Schafer, Joan Berry, Kelly Stern, Amy Benson, Paul Doughty, Steven Janssen. Debbie Saylor emails the team’s
schedule and Judy Cooper does the weekly reminders.
Communion Preparation and Serving The communion preparation team has been led by Judy Cooper. Debbie Saylor has scheduled the communion
servers and Judy Cooper has been setting up the weekly reminders. The communion teams of preparers and
servers enabled the celebration of the sacrament of communion to take place smoothly throughout the year.
Communion preparers have included the Terrie Green, Schafers, Stavelys, Mosellas, Salibys, Doughtys, Yeagers,
McCools, Cheri Hahn and Debbie Saylor.
Communion servers have included Alta Paronto, Greg Makar, Judy Cooper, Linda Lewis, Mike Davie, Cathy
Debus, Julia Kirby, Tracy Churchill, Debbie Saylor, Steve Debus, Abbey Boudreau, Breinny Mosella, Ryan
Stavely, Adell Gaurin, Anne-Marie Rosenthal, Bill Champagne, Cheryl Walcutt, Doug Walcutt, Karen Dodson,
Kelly Burnett, Kim Champagne, Linnie Girdner, Paul Doughty, Sue Hanburger, Joan Berry. Ed and Kristin
Barrett have been so gracious in buying the Communion Wine this year. Thanks to Betsy Baer who conducted
the Communion server training this year.
Intergenerational Worship (IW)
This year after much discussion the team decided to incorporate IW into every Sunday service. All Sunday school
groups begin in the sanctuary to participate in worship and after the children’s message all youth go to Sunday
school.
Ushers Greg Makar has scheduled the lead ushers for the 9:30 service, as has Christine Caufield -Noll for the 11:00
service. Our ushers not only greet you with a smile and a bulletin before service, but take care of the smooth
running of the service, including; taking attendance and receiving the offering, managing the Friendship registers,
and bringing extra chairs in when we run out. The lead ushers this year included Terrie Green, Russ Hester, Jim
Cooper, Chris Wilkens, Greg Makar, Amy Hagemann, Fred Barrow, Bill Champagne, Doug Walcutt, Dave
Mosella, Kenji Nishikawa and Christine Caufield-Noll.
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Storytellers The Way - Words, our storytelling group, is led by Anthony Saylor. The group continues to enact Biblical
stories as part of the church's Sunday liturgy to make the Word come alive for all ages. The core of the team
includes Joan Berry, Jim Cooper, Lisa Ferrar, Briah Ryan, Laura Willoughby Perry, Anthony Saylor, Karen
Dodson and Claire Henderson. Additional thespians are always welcome.
Alternative Worship team This team included people who were inspired to lead Taize-style meditative services during Lent, and our
Campfire Worship service in the Fall. During Lent, we held a variety of services based on the simple and beautiful
Taize service with its calming music, and time for meditation. The services were thoughtfully planned and led by
the Doughty family, Adell Gaurin and Laura Brecheen, the Logos High School group, the Voyagers Mens'
Fellowship and Pastor Jon. Rebecca Bell, Laura Brecheen, and Paul Doughty led the music and Ryan Stavely and
Ellen Makar displayed evocative graphics for the services. Non-Taize music was added in some services to give
more variety to the worship space.
Our fourth Campfire Worship and Fellowship (“S'More Worship”) attracted about 70 people to come out and
worship God by fire and starlight on a Saturday night in early October. Some of the many highlights of this
worship service focused on the theme of "Hope" was Lisa Ferrer's storytelling about Ezekiel's vision of the dry
bones coming to life, Jim Cooper's retelling of the new heaven and new earth passage from Revelation, and Pastor
Jon's reading a poem about hope and an old church. Three teams collaborated again to make it happen: the Boy
Scouts, who made the warming fire; the worship team, who created and led the service, music, and projected the
graphics in the dark; and the fellowship team that provided the S'Mores and drinks. Special thanks go to Laura
Willoughby and J Perry for putting together the service, Paul Doughty, Karen Dodson and Alex Effiom on the
music, Lisa Ferrer, Jim Cooper, Pastor Jon, Amy and Ryan Stavely, Donna Anderson, and everyone else who had
a part in making this happen!
Worship Media Ministry
Ryan Stavely and Ellen Makar have been co-leading the team. The team has provided the visual atmosphere for
our Sunday worship, all special services, and other events over the last year by creating and projecting the slides
that give us the words we say and sing, finding and sharing images that have deepened the worship experience,
playing movie clips to reinforce points in the sermons, and so much more. The team has also covered the sound
board to improve the sound quality and get the volume levels right! Other people on the team: Alexander Turse,
Alex Effiom, Cliff Wellington, Rob Yeager, J Perry, Ashtyn Rosenthal, John Salkeld, Tanner Nishikawa,
Nicholas Yeager.
Sexual Offender/Chaperone Ministry We continue to welcome David Oquist to scheduled worship services thanks to a dedicated group of men who
escort him while on the premises. Paul Doughty has been leading the team. The rest of the team members included
Ed Barrett, Vaughn Brown, Bill Gaurin, J. Perry, Rob Yeager, Greg Saliby, Paul Stancil, and Don Ziegler, as well
as Brian Boudreau and Tom Stroka, who had to leave the team in late 2016 due to other responsibilities. Please
contact Paul if you would like to help out on this team.
Music Ministries
The Music Ministries at both services have been awesome this year. Thanks to both of our Music Directors
Rebecca Bell Echols, Mark Edwards and the extremely talented Choirs, Chamber Orchestra and Band.
Both of the Music Directors (Rebecca Bell Echols and Mark Edwards) shared their reports below of what has
been happening this year.
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Traditional Music The Traditional Music ministry is led by Rebecca Bell Echols, who directs the Adult Choir and leads the hymns
from the piano. The Adult Choir leads the music for worship at the 9:30 service, with rehearsals taking place on
Thursday evenings from 7:00-8:30 in the sanctuary, extra Saturday morning rehearsals as-needed and on Sunday
mornings from 8:45-9:15. The choir continues to grow. We welcomed Catherine Chambers and Hollis
Butterworth this year and they have been wonderful additions to our group. The members of the choir are: Wendy
Wellington, Laura Doughty, Helen Wilkens, Betsy Baer, Carla Thomas, Alta Paronto, Judy Cooper, Catherine
Chambers, Hollis Butterworth, Tracy Churchill, Dick Paronto, Patriceo Green, Stan Houck, Mike Davie, David
Sparks, Steve Debus, and we are occasionally joined by Paul Doughty when extra voices are needed. We will
also be welcoming Brian McCool, Amy Stavely and Molly Churchill as we learn Mozart's "Requiem" to present
in June. We are also lucky to have Paula Sparks as part of our congregation, who is a very talented pianist and
has accompanied the choir on many Anthems during Easter, Advent, and Christmas. The Adult Choir, Joyful
Noise, and Orchestra collaborated to sing John Rutter's "Mass of the Children" this past year. It was incredibly
challenging, but was above and beyond my expectation. This year, we've raised the bar again. We will be doing
Mozart's "Requiem". We will sing this at our church on June 11th, and then a group of us will be going to sing it
again at New York City's prestigious "Carnegie Hall". Go big, or go home, right?
Rebecca Bell Echols, Director of Music
Children's Choir Ministry: (Joyful Noise and Dove Choir) The changes made to Joyful Noise and the Dove Choir last year have continued to have positive results. The
children and youth have sung each month during worship and present "Mass of the Children" and "A Very
Important Christmas Pageant"- both were overwhelmingly successful. The kids are enjoying their time in choir
and learning a lot about music, worship, and being a part of a positive group. The parents have been extremely
committed to both of these groups and that has made all the difference in the world.
Rebecca Bell Echols, Director of Music
Contemporary Adult Band
2016 was a fantastic year for the music program at Ark & Dove! Patrick Sise received his own call to lead a
contemporary music program, and we saw the continuation of all of our projects from past years. Band members
in 2016 were: Terence Byrne (electric bass), Briah Ryan, Claire Henderson, Brendan Betyn (drums), Kim
Champagne, Adell Gaurin, Aimee Schafer, Joan Berry, Laura Brecheen, Karen Dodson (piano), Al Furlow
(mandolin), Anne-Marie Rosenthal, Rebecca Bell, Ryan Stavely (electric piano) and Patrick Sise (guitar). We
also added two new substitute instrumentalists to the list: Matt Kruft (guitar) and Mark DeMull (drums). Major
projects from 2016 were the Rend Collective service titled “As Family We Go", Christmas Revels, and several
themed services. Upcoming in the 2017 year are another Christmas Revels program, a fully produced music
video, and another specially themed service in the Spring. Challenges for the upcoming year will be to continue
to search for funding to expand the current drummer position to include rehearsal as a step forward towards main
goal of the music intern program. Thank you for all of your support! Without you, none of this would be
possible!
Mark Edwards, Director of Contemporary Music
Youth Band
The Youth Band was in transition in 2016. With ever changing membership and schedules that don’t line up on
Sunday afternoons, the youth band has become more of an extension of the LOGOS program, with individual
youth involvement with the adult band. However, with continued support and growth of Ashtyn Rosenthal, Jack
Burnett, Alex Turse, Brittany Wellington, as well as youth from outside of the church - the proper youth band is
ready to start again in 2017 with a group of extremely talented musicians. In 2016, the Youth who participated
in music through the adult band were: Alex Turse (drums, trumpet), Brittany Wellington (cello), and Ashtyn
Rosenthal (Flute, steel drum) -as well as community music school student John Cabana (guitar). The Youth Band
is ready to go for a great year in 2017, and finding ways to engage, empower, and find time to meet will continue
to be paramount to having a successful youth band.
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Flower Team
The flower team is led by Paula Griggs. This team gets together several times a year to make arrangements for
the sanctuary and lobby. Team members are Paula Griggs, Terrie Green, Peggi Ziegler, and Annetta
Fenstermacher.
Loyal Order of the Beadle
We have had three fellowship events with this group: Kol Shalom in Annapolis, Islamic Society of Annapolis
and we had a pool party (thanks again to the Kirby’s). This enthusiastic group of youth have been great, they are
at church early to make sure the Pastor has water, that the bible is marked with the readings for service, and they
make sure to keep the Pastor on time. The team members are Alex Turse, Jackson Meyers (stepped down at the
end of 2016), John Salkeld, Logan Walcutt (stepped down at the end of 2016), Mackenzie Kirby, Victoria Saylor,
Yaw Poku (stepped down at the end of 2016) , Alexis Yeager, Savannah Howe, Ethan Howe, Meghan Tardiff,
Charlotte Yeager, Ayden Reeder, Emma Talbert.
Banner Team
The banner group this year focused on mending Banners that we currently have and made a few table runners.
The team members are Sue Hanburger, Liz Olson Annetta Fenstermacher, Debbie Bates, Christy Yeager, Alta
Paronto and Debbie Saylor.
Communion Bread Team
After 8 months of Baking Allergen free bread (many failed attempts), Linnie and I decided that we would sadly
retire this team.
I also want to thank all the families that helped with Advent this year: Catherine Chambers, Amy and Meghan
Tardiff, Matt Solomon, Laura and Jay Willoughby Perry (and kids), Patriceo, Leisha, Hiley, and Saijha Green,
Debbie and Victory Saylor, Erica Sealing, Paula Griggs, Stephen Bates and Steven Janssen, Elijah Bates, Everett
Bates, Ryan, Amy , Alex and Ellie Stavely, Julia, Mackenzie, Grant Kirby.
All respectfully submitted,
Deborah Saylor, Worship Elder, [email protected]
MISSION MINISTRY
The Mission ministry connects members with opportunities to impact lives of those in need in our
community and around the world through hands-on activities, prayer opportunities, and sharing of our
financial gifts and resources A summary of Ark and Dove’s 2016 mission activities are outlined below:
LOCAL/REGIONAL MISSION
Christian Assistance Program (CAP)
Greg Makar is the team leader for our CAP activities. Food is regularly donated and taken to the food pantry at
Severn UMC by Greg, and Annetta Fenstermacher continues to volunteer at the food pantry 1x/month. The annual
youth-led Souper Bowl of Caring event also supplied funds and 546 cans of soup to the food pantry. The number
of people using the food pantry continues to increase, so these contributions are much-needed.
Local school assistance: Back to School backpacks/school supplies program
Greg Makar heads up our effort to supply Meade Heights Elementary School students with backpacks filled with
supplies. This is done in conjunction with the county’s department of social services. In 2016 we increased our
support of Meade Heights from 30 to 35 students. In addition, we again provided several boxes of supplies for
Meade Middle School.
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Holiday Sharing
Greg Makar, Beth Stewart, and Nicole Howe coordinated our Christmas gift program, Holiday Sharing, in
conjunction with the county’s department of social services. Eighty-three children in 38 families received gifts.
There was also a great need in the community for assistance during the Christmas season, beyond what social
services could accommodate, and Ark and Dove supplied food and gift cards in response to special requests from
individual families.
Habitat for Humanity – Annapolis property and High School/Young Adult Work Trip Ellen Makar is the team leader for our local Habitat activities. Work is proceeding on the property at 123 Clay
Street in Annapolis, and Ark and Dove participated in several work days throughout the year. In January 2017,
the 55 Clay St property was dedicated to the new occupant, who happened to be the original potential buyer for
the 123 Clay street home. However, due to financial changes, the owner and Habitat team decided that the smaller
townhome would be more appropriate for that family’s needs. A new prospective owner for the large 123 Clay
St home is still being sought as of the writing of this report.
The high school youth and adult chaperones traveled to the Eastern Shore of Virginia to work on a Habitat home
for one week during June. The youth held fund raisers for this trip and received funds from the mission budget to
help defray costs.
The Center in Baltimore Summer Middle School Experience
A group of middle schoolers, led by Sarah Salkeld, Deb Saylor, and Associate Pastor Nelson, participated in a
mission experience with The Center for the second year in a row. This year, the participants worked with Paul’s
Place, which, per their website, “now offers more than two dozen services and programs to low-income
individuals and families in the Washington Village/Pigtown community” of Baltimore City. Another trip to The
Center for 6th - 10th graders is being planned for 2017.
Sarah’s House Monthly Dinners
Kelly Stern is the team leader for our Sarah’s House ministry. Each month, 2-4 members plan, cook, and serve a
meal at Sarah’s House transitional shelter for women and families. Special thanks to Sarah Salkeld and the middle
school youth for participating several times over the past year, and to Kim Young for her assistance throughout
the year. Sarah’s House also receives funding through the mission budget.
Winter Relief Week-Long Homeless Shelter
More than 100 members of the congregation, with site coordinators Sue Hanburger, Brooke Hisle, and David
Hisle, and over a dozen team leaders, hosted between 21-25 homeless men each night during the week of October
10-17. As this is the church’s most intensive mission activity, everyone pitched in to make sure these men had a
safe and hospitable place to sleep, eat, and relax. Over 1,000 recorded hours of volunteering took place during
this week alone, plus approximately 180 hours of preparation time by the coordinators and elder alone. A steel
drum band also performed for the guests and members on Friday, coordinated by Anne Marie Rosenthal. Finally,
many generous donations of supplies and funds allowed us to provide bountiful food and other critical needs to
our guests.
Thankful 100x Over
Ark and Dove hosted the third year of Thankful 100x Over, a program developed by Scott Schier (A&D friend)
to supply over 100 families with food for a Thanksgiving meal. Members also supplied gift cards, money, and
shopped for the food. This growing program helps so many families have a delicious Thanksgiving meal.
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INTERNATIONAL MISSION
Mission Coworkers
We continue to support our mission coworkers, Rev. Dr. Karla Koll (Costa Rica), and Bob and Gwenda Fletcher
(Congo) financially and through prayer.
Mission Component of Vacation Bible School
The theme of 2016’s vacation bible school was “Water All Around the World”. The children raised money for
the international organization Living Water for the World.
ADDITIONAL MISSION ACTIVITIES
Antiracism and Social Equity Joint Ministry with Christian Education
Linnie Girdner and Paula Sparks have co-facilitated this new ministry in 2016. Activities included small groups,
forums, movie nights, and events like the Presbytery’s Gathering in November which centered around race. Linnie
and Paula also participated in Baltimore Racial Justice Action’s intensive training program on racism and social
equity and have brought what they have learned back to the church. A major accomplishment was displaying a
“Dismantle Racism: Join the Conversation” banner, first inside, and now outside, the church. This banner has
become an outreach tool by alerting the community to our interest in this area.
Refugee Welcoming Ministry
The mission ministry used 2016 as a discernment year for contemplating if we should begin a refugee welcoming
ministry at Ark and Dove, and if so, what would that look like. The mission elder had a conversation with a
member of Harundale’s welcoming team and in November invited James Sunday, director of World Relief Anne
Arundel, to speak to the mission ministry. James was then invited back to speak during the services in early
January 2017. Based on congregational feedback, we are prayerfully moving forward with this ministry in 2017;
immediate next steps are Session approval, training of team members, and deciding how to focus the team’s
efforts, along with additional education of the congregation through forums and a potential book study.
Special Offerings and Heifer International
The congregation contributed to several special offerings, including One Great Hour of Sharing (supports the
Self-Development of People, the Pres. Hunger Program, Pres. Disaster Assistance); Peace and Global Witness;
and Christmas Joy. Special thanks to Shelley Franklin for writing many of the communications about the Special
Offerings for church publications. Our children supported Heifer International’s work to lift families out of
poverty through raising farm animals.
Bay Area Disciples Hispanic Ministry – Communidad Presbiteriana La Trinidad
Rev. Midge Lucas was successfully called to head the new Hispanic-focused worshiping community,
Communidad Presbiteriana La Trinidad. We support this community financially and member Laura Willoughby-
Perry is the congregation’s liaison to the Bay Area Disciples in regards to this community. We are excited to work
with Rev. Lucas in 2017 and are planning to have him come to Ark and Dove and share more about his ministry
with our congregation.
Respectfully Submitted,
Christine Caufield Noll, Mission Elder, [email protected]
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CHRISTIAN EDUCATION MINISTRY
Nursery
Our Nursery continues to provide a safe and caring environment for the littlest members of our church family.
We are very fortunate to have Amanda Crose as our Child Care Provider, giving us a consistent and caring
presence in our nursery! We are also grateful to Nicole Chidlow, Sarah Anthis, as well as Carl and Brittany
Wellington for helping out when we have needed additional providers.
LOGOS
Under the wonderful leadership of Amy Tardiff and with encouragement and guidance from Pastor Jon, our
LOGOS youth ministry underwent some big changes for the 2016-17 program year. The program starts at 5:pm
for preschool through 4th grade and it begins at 6:pm for grades 5 through 8. Each part of the program is 25
minutes long. We are hoping to promote more of a “camp” atmosphere, based on recommendations we received
as a result of our May “Achieving Excellence” training with Liz Perraud (Executive Director of GenOn
Ministries). So far it seems to be working.
Worship Arts has been totally revamped with a beautiful curriculum that Debbie Saylor has written. She has
recruited to Amy Carskadon and Stephen Bates to teach it. Thanks to Amy Stavely, we have a pre-school program
for the first time this year. The middle school part of the program is running differently as Pastor Jon hopes to
bring this group closer together, especially with the goal of participation in The Center trip this summer.
The high school program now meets on Sunday nights from 5 – 7 pm. We have been in prayer over this for a
long time. Sunday night seems to be the only time that these youth can meet. Their first session is Sunday,
September 25th.
I cannot say “thank you” enough to our Bible time, Worship skills, Family Time, Recreation teachers and leaders,
for both the Tuesday night as well as Sunday night programs: Nicole and Scott Howe, Sarah Salkeld, Laura
Willoughby, J. Perry, Stephen Bates, Abbey Boudreau, Pastors Tim and Jon, Greg Saliby, Mark Edwards, Laura
Talbert, Leisha Green, Amy Stavely, Sam Dewey, Tim Dewey, Amy Carskadon; Christy and Rob Yeager,
Deborah Saliby, Annetta Fenstermacher, Adell Gaurin, Ryan Stavely, Bill Champagne; Debbie Saylor, Julie
Devers and Laura Rockwell. I am also grateful to Brian Boudreau and the Sahai family for their work in helping
us break down after LOGOS.
Ark and Dove sent over twenty youth to the Gen-On Conference in Wheeling, WV place July 17 – 23, 2016. In
order to raise money for their trip, the teens provided babysitting at the church (Parents Night Out), held a yard
sale and silent ministry basket auction. Nicole Howe’s idea for a “Pet Idol” competition was a huge success. We
had seven adult volunteers who also attended and we are grateful for their leadership and for donating so much
of their time to be present at this conference that means so much to our youth and their Christian journey: Kelly
Burnett, Pastor Jon, Laura Brecheen, Adell Gaurin, Mark Edwards, Ann-Marie Rosenthal and Wendy Wellington.
Next year’s summit is July 16 – 22, 2017.
Sunday School
Pre-School: The CE Ministry is grateful to our Pre-school teachers Julie Devers and Amy Carskadon for their
dedication to our little guys! They continue to use our Sparkhouse subscription for their curriculum.
Godly Play: In addition to her regular teaching duties, Amy Tardiff continues as the leader our Godly Play
program. I am extremely grateful to Amy for her leadership as well as the following teachers who give their time
so our children have wonderful Sunday school lessons: Donna Anderson, Jim Cooper, Laura Doughty, Lisa
Ferrer, Nicole Howe, Greg Saliby, Laura Talbert, Wendy Wellington, Laura Willoughby and Christy Yeager. We
are currently running two GP classes during the 9:30 service and one class at 11:am. We do have a great need
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for additional door persons and storytellers. Our program is growing, while our pool of adult volunteers appears
to be shrinking!
Middle and High School
I am grateful to Sarah Salkeld, Nicole and Scott Howe for sharing teaching responsibilities on the Middle School
side and to J Perry, Erica Sealing and Ben Rollins, our high school co-teachers. We are using the “reForm” and
“Inform” curriculum in these classes and it appears to be well-received. Jon and I occasionally fill in as substitute
Sunday school teachers, which we both thoroughly enjoy.
Summer Sunday School
The program began on June 26th with a multi-age (pre-school through 5th grade) class at 9:30 and 11am, utilizing
Spark’s “Holy Moly” curriculum, we referred to it as “Old Testaments Heroes”. Recruiting volunteer teachers
was particularly challenging this summer. We didn’t want to rely on the regular Sunday school teachers, but had
to occasionally ask for their help, which proves that Ark and Dove is very blessed to have such dedicated teachers.
One of our youth volunteers was Matthew Hagaman, who was incredibly helpful with the children at 9:30 as class
sizes during 9:30 varied between 12 and 20 (as we got closer to the end of summer). Classes at 11am usually
included five children.
Adult Education
The Christian Education Ministry is extremely grateful to Linda Girdner, our Adult Education Team Leader for
talented leadership and guidance. Last spring Linda along with co-leader Paula Sparks facilitated an Antiracism
group study of Jim Wallis’s “America’s Original Sin: Racism, white privilege and the Bridge to a New America.”
The Spirited Sisters (Saturday Morning Women’s Group) read Robert Wick’s “Crossing the Desert: Learning to
Let Go, See Clearly, and Live Simply” in the spring and for the fall they are watching a video series Twelve
Women of the Bible. Also in the fall, Pastor Tim, Steve and Cathy Debus led a small group with “An Introduction
to the Spiritual Journey. ” Pastor Jon continued to lead weekly bible studies on Wednesdays mornings and
Thursday evenings. We also appreciate the assistance of Shelley Franklin who has recently joined the Adult
Education team.
During Lent this year we formed seven Lenten Bible Study groups that are used the Being Reformed series
“Discipleship: the Way of Jesus.” The CE Ministry is indebted to the following facilitators: Pastors Tim and Jon,
Betsy Baer, Linda Girdner, Vaughn Brown, and Lindsay Hoxie.
For the adult side of Vacation Bible School, the pastors utilized a set of short films with some great contemporary
leaders on the role of the church today. It was attended by approximately 16 people per evening. Even though
attendance was lower than previous years, I believe the people who participated felt particularly blessed. Some
of the group’s observations will be reflected in the upcoming Long Range Plan.
Vacation Bible School
“Water All Around the World” VBS (July 31st through August 4th) appeared to be a great success. Christina
Nelson stepped forward to be the program’s director with Pastor Jon and myself as her assistants. We were also
able to recruit 24 adult volunteers (many of whom did not have children in the program!) and ten youth helpers
that really worked hard to help VBS run smoothly. Laura Doughty’s parents (Mr. and Mrs. Tanner) even helped
with the opening of the program by sharing their experiences with this mission project; Philomena Ofori was a
special speaker for our Ghana Day, and the Yeagers (along with Pastor Jon) did a spectacular job with our
Riverwise Day on the last day of VBS. Thanks to all our dedicated volunteers, the 48 children who attended
enjoyed a program that was tailored to our church. We owe a great deal of gratitude to Wendy Wellington who
offered a lot of great advice and information from her many years as VBS Director. Next year’s VBS will be
held during the week of July 9 – 13, 2017.
Respectfully Submitted,
Kim Champagne, Christian Education Elder, [email protected]
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DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRY
The Discipleship Ministry undertakes ministry with and through three teams: Stewardship, Leadership
Development, and Nominating.
Stewardship
This year’s Fall Stewardship Campaign combined the previous Mission and Ministry pledge and Building Fund
pledge into a single pledge for a single fund for 2017. Our theme was Catch the Joy, and the congregation
responded with many heartfelt expressions of the joy they have experienced at Ark and Dove.
This year’s Stewardship campaign team included Steve Debus, Amy Carskadon, and Christy Yeager and was
supported by many members of the congregation – most notably Treasurer Alta Paronto. A huge thank you to
the entire congregation for your participation, your generosity, and your enthusiastic support of the ministry of
Ark and Dove.
Our pledges did fall short of Session’s goals for funding our mission, ministry, and other expenses; therefore, in
order to balance our budget, members of Session voted to make modest cuts across all ministry areas and allocate
less money in 2017 to the major repairs fund than it had planned. If we receive additional unpledged income in
2017, Session will work to restore those cuts.
In addition to the annual Stewardship campaigns, the Stewardship team is responsible for providing education
and opportunities for whole-life stewardship. The Planned Giving team, led by Wendy Wellington, Julia Kirby,
and David Sparks, has done substantial work this year to help lay the groundwork for future planned giving
activities and potential endowments – many, many thanks to the members of that team for their hard work!
Leadership Development Team In 2016, the Leadership Development Team continued its “Equipping the Saints” ministry to develop and equip
lay leaders at Ark and Dove. Based on input from members of Session, the team sought to provide meaningful
training focused on helping leaders become more faithful disciples while also equipping them with lessons and
devotions that could be used to facilitate their own team meetings. In the Spring we concluded a series of six
events focused on the Six Marks of Discipleship, and in the Fall we began a series of focused lessons based on
needs and interests identified by Session members to better equip them to lead their various ministries.
The Equipping the Saints program is blessed to have a team of people who have helped provide meals (with
vegan and gluten-free options) at the start of each event, child care during the events, and lessons and devotions
for each event. Thank you to Pastor Tim and Pastor Jon for your thoughtful devotions and your insightful
lessons, and to Samantha Dewey and Amy Pumphrey, whose behind the scenes efforts on everything from
announcements and Arkive articles to material preparation and room setup make the entire program possible.
Thank you!!
Nominating Team
The nominating team worked throughout the year in earnest to identify candidates that would faithfully serves in
the position of Elders and Deacons. We wish to thank Elders Deb Saylor and Amy Carskadon and Deacon Bill
Gaurin for their faithful Service.
After prayerful discernment, Elders Ryan Stavely and Deacons Cheryl Walcutt and Brian Boudreau have
expressed their desire to serve for a second term. The Nominating Team believes they will continue to serve the
congregation of Ark and Dove faithfully and respectfully submits their nomination for approval to continue to
serve in their respective offices. Ryan will serve in the role of Worship Elder. The Nominating Team has
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presented the Call to serve and has received acceptance of the Call to serve as Elder, Steve Debus and Rob Yeager.
We respectfully put forth their names for approval.
There is one additional Vacancy to the Board of Deacons which has not been filled.
Over two years ago, we identified and made a recommendation to session to approve a special position on the
Board of Deacons that would provide focus on serving the spiritual needs of our youth and young adults of the
congregation. The position was further defined as having a one year term to accommodate the often changing
influences and direction that is associated with this age group. Consistent with other deacon positions, a member
may only serve for 6 concurrent years before taking a break from active service. The position not required to be
filled and is only filled when a membered is well suited, qualified, and called to fulfill the duties of the office. It
is with great delight and my honor to present Kaity Gaurin to serve in this capacity and request congregational
approval. The Board of Deacons and Ms. Gaurin are taking on great responsibility to be first in learning and
refining how this position can enrich and deepen the spirituality of our youth and young adults. The team applauds
their courage and commitment.
On the assumption that the congregation votes and elects the slate as presented the following will be the
composition of the Church Officers:
Session (7)
Class of 2018 Kim Champagne Christine Caulfield-Noll
Class of 2019 Donna Anderson Wendy Wellington
Class of 2020 Rob Yeager Ryan Stavely Steve Debus
Deacons (9)
Class of 2018 Cathy Debus Sue Hanburger Lindsey Hoxie
Class of 2019 Greg Makar Judy Cooper Kelly Burnett
Class of 2020 Cheryl Walcutt Brian Boudreau Vacant
Class of 2020 Deacon to Serve Youth – Kaity Gaurin
The Congregation offers its sincere appreciation to our retiring and past Officers for their uncompromising service
to this church and the community.
We would also like to extend our sincere appreciation to the 2015 Nominating Team (Doug Walcutt, Amy
Carskadon, Julie Devers, Linsey Hoxie (Walker), Paula Sparks, and Helen Wilkens) for their service, dedication
and discernment in the last year. Thank you.
Respectfully Submitted,
Amy Carskadon, Discipleship Elder, [email protected]
FACILITIES MINISTRY
Building Care Team As my tenure as Facilities Elder comes to a close, the one constant was the yeoman’s effort by Mike Davie to
keep our building and all of its systems operating correctly. Through his tireless efforts, the building has remained
a safe and secure place for worship and a full slate of activities for both the church and surrounding community
during the week. Mike was instrumental in the biggest repair of the year – the replacement of one of our
original 1995 rooftop HVAC units. The new unit will not only give us many years of trouble free service, but
will cool more efficiently using environment-friendly refrigerant. Through our partnership with Interfaith Power
and Light, we were able to renew our electricity supply for three more years of 100% wind power to the building
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at a rate 12% lower than the last agreement. Under Patriceo Green’s leadership, the building care team assembled
several quotes for the replacement of the building siding, and we will be able to move forward with this project
in 2017. Also, many thanks to Cliff Wellington for stepping forward and agreeing to take over tracking the
maintenance of our fire safety systems.
Grounds Team
The big news of the year on the grounds, was the completion of the rain garden and rain barrels through Rob
Yeager’s work with the RiverWise Congregations program. Not only is the new garden an attractive addition to
the property, it does a great job of managing all of the storm water that runs off of our parking lot. It’s amazing
to be on the grounds during a heavy rain and watch the garden fill completely with water that would normally be
rushing off of the property. Gone is the swamp that used to live outside our front door after rain events! The rain
barrels not only slow the flow of water during storm events, but also provide stored water that we use to keep the
plants provided by Paula Griggs and the flower team watered long after the rain has passed. Additionally, we
held a pair of cleanup events on the grounds that kept things looking beautiful year-round. Thanks to Tony Hoxie
for stepping forward as the Grounds Team leader, and everyone that was able to come out over the year and help
keep the grounds maintained.
Technology Team
This year Chris Slingluff took the lead and made sure that all of the eligible computers in the building were
upgraded to Windows 10, to ensure that we had the most up to date and supported operating system. With Chris
and Deb Saylor’s help, we were also able to get signed up for a Microsoft program that allows non-profits such
as Ark and Dove free use of their software including the most up to date versions of Office. In addition, the year
carried the usual maintenance of the network, server, and connected devices to ensure that our data remained safe
and secure.
Kitchen Team
The mid-year failure of our dishwasher highlighted how important our kitchen is to all of the ministries that we
do here at Ark and Dove. Many thanks to Mike Davie and Ned Wiese for spending many hours troubleshooting
and rebuilding our leaky valve until the repair was completed! Their time and effort saved the congregation the
thousands of dollars that would have been required to replace the dishwasher if the repairs were unsuccessful.
Respectfully Submitted,
Ryan Stavely, Facilities Coordinator, [email protected]
BOARD OF DEACONS
The Board of Deacons attends to the pastoral care of congregation. According to the Presbyterian Book of
Order, “The ministry of deacon…is one of compassion, witness, and service, sharing in the redeeming love
of Jesus Christ….” Deacons provide spiritual and practical support through different ministries within the
Board of Deacons. Each deacon also is responsible for providing caregiving to a segment of the
congregation (known as alphas). The Board of Deacons met formally as a group once per month, but they
worked together on many projects throughout the year.
Here is a summary of our activity from each of the coordinators:
Baptism
It was an active year for baptisms, keeping Cheryl Walcutt, our Baptism Coordinator very busy. In 2016, five
children were welcomed into the family of Ark and Dove through the sacrament of baptism. Conversations have
taken place for baptisms in 2017 for both children and adults. The Baptism Coordinator meets with each family
before every baptism to discuss the ritual and meaning of baptism in the Presbyterian Church.
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Meal Coordination Ministry
This has been a busy year for the team providing meals to families in need at Ark and Dove. Often times, we
experience multiple needs at the same time, and this year, we experienced a few long-term needs. In summary,
the meals team has provided approximately 25 meals to 7 families throughout the past 10 months. There are 16
active members of the team, with two being members who can provide vegan and/or vegetarian meals or recipes
to others. In addition to individual team members, the Logo’s group often provides left-overs to freeze for quick
emergency situations and Winter Relief also provided left-overs to be used for one of the longer-term
circumstances.
In one long-term request for meals, a meal train was set up by the family and the link shared with many in the
congregation. Several meals were provided that we were likely not aware of by members of the
congregation. This worked well for a while; however, over a long period of months, it did not continue to be
successful.
The team members are very responsive. Even when asked to provide items for a funeral, when available, they
jump in and are committed to helping in any possible way as quickly as possible. As with any team, getting
additional participation can be challenging. Ads were placed in the E-Archive that were only marginally
successful; however, the announcement on the screen during the services seemed to draw a few new
people. Personal contact has been the most successful. I believe I speak for every member of the team when I
say it is a pleasure to provide this comfort to our church families.
Judy Cooper, Meal Coordinator Deacon
Funeral/Memorial Services
For 2016, The Memorial/Life Services ministry, led by Cathy Debus, coordinated four services. Thank you to the
Worship Team, Grounds and Maintenance Team, and other Deacons for all their help. The Deacons and the team
set up for memorial services, helped usher and greet, consoled the grieving family, and provided general
assistance throughout the day.
Prayer Partners and Communications
The Prayer Partners Ministry received prayer requests and sent them at least weekly via e-mail to all deacons and
those in the congregation who made a commitment to keep others in their prayers. Sue Hanburger adeptly handled
this ministry full of prayers of joy, support, comfort and healing. Anyone can ask for prayers or can be added to
the prayer partners list to help prayer for others in need.
Stephen Ministry
Thank you for continuing to support the Stephen Ministry here at Ark & Dove! While we began our Stephen
Minister training in the fall of 2015, we continued our classes in 2016 from January through March. We gathering
for two and ½ hours each week to further our studies and prepare to be Commissioned as Stephen Ministers for
our church.
In preparation for our Commissioning, we attended a two-day retreat in mid-March, enjoying some good
fellowship time, furthering our studies, and reflecting on our journey up to that point. When we completed our
training sessions this past spring, we were proud and humbled to be Commissioned as Stephen Ministers on April
10th. WHAT A GREAT DAY THAT WAS!
Beginning in April, we began meeting on the 2nd & 3rd Wednesdays of each month. This will continue to be our
first Stephen Ministers’ group schedule for the next few years. We will continue to study various books and
gather to support each other.
To further our church’s ministry, both Pastor Tim & Pastor Jon attended a weeklong Leadership Training Course
(LTC) to learn all about the ministry! A big THANK YOU goes to our congregation for pledging the funds so
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that Laurie Barrow could also attend a LTC to become a Stephen Leader. Laurie will have just returned from this
event when we gather for our Annual Congregational Meeting. I am very much looking forward to working with
Laurie in this new role!
Our hopes for the ministry are as follows:
• Better communicate with the congregation about the Care Giving relationship being offered
• Continue to encourage congregation members and friends to prayerfully consider entering a Caring Relationship
when appropriate
• Begin planning for a second class of Stephen Ministers
Laurie Barrow, Vaughn Brown, Denise Grassel, Gail Huff, Mary Stum, and I are honored to serve Ark & Dove
as your Stephen Ministers.
Kelly Burnett Deacon, Stephen Leader/Minister
Other Activities
The Deacons sponsored several Nametag Sundays in the hope that we all become closer to each other.
Hopefully we met knew neighbors. We received a warm response to this actitivity and hope to continue it
the future.
With the support of the deacons, Linnie Girdner led several Healing through Grief small group sessions
throughout the year, including a special Dealing with Grief during the Holiday meeting in November.
Deacons also contacted members of their alphas in various ways, including cards, e-mails, face to face
interactions, phone calls and texts. In addition, the deacons made several hospital and home visits.
The deacons maintained the All Saints List, which was read on the Sunday closest to All Saints Day and
included in the bulletin.
The deacons continued to send sympathy cards to and checked in with members of their alphas who had
experienced a loss. This also included providing books on grief for members who lost immediate family
members and made these available to others upon request. (Feel free to still make this request, if you were
unaware of it.)
A Special Thanks
This year we say goodbye to Bill Gaurin. We thank you for your service and love you shared with the whole
Congregation. We are also excited to welcome Kaity Gaurin to the Board of Deacons. Ark and Dove is very
lucky to have them share their gifts with us. As well, Cheryl Walcutt and Brian Boudreau have agreed to stay on
for another term.
Respectfully submitted,
Brian Boudreau, Moderator of Deacons, [email protected]
ADMINISTRATION MINISTRY
The Administration Ministry oversees the business operations of the church, including Communications,
Finance, Policy and Personnel.
The Communications Team coordinates all aspects of keeping everyone informed. Our church administrator,
Mondee, continued working diligently to optimize our web pages so that our website shows up in more searches
that the public conducts. Thank you to Amy Hagemann for joining the team to help with weekly website updates.
Mondee regularly coordinates with many volunteers to assist with: data entry (Amy Pumphrey), preparing the
Arkive for mailing (Dick Paronto, Sue Hanburger, Annetta Fenstermacher, Joan Berry, Merlin Berry), data entry
for Emergency Assistance (Amy Stavely), photography for all publications (Tony Hoxie), and bulletin board
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updates (Samantha Dewey). Thank you to all the volunteers for your commitment to this ministry. Thank you to
Amy Stavely for continuing to post our activities to our Facebook page. Our outdoor sign/marquee was regularly
updated thanks to the efforts of Catherine Chambers and other members of the Sign-Update team, Greg Makar
and Jim Cooper. As of June, 2016, we procured an updated copier/printer and were able to reduce monthly
rental payments in the process. Plus, it can print banners and do trifold.!
The Finance Team naturally, takes care of everything financial related (bills, paychecks, vouchers from Elders,
counting Sunday offerings, monthly reports, managing on-line donations and electronic transfers of pledges,
quarterly statements, giving envelopes, etc.)
We ended the year with almost $20,000 behind in pledging. Overall, we ended with a deficit of $12,473. Session
is extremely grateful to the numerous hours our Mission and Ministry Fund Treasurer, Alta Paronto, devotes each
week to keeping our bills payed and our records up-to-date. Her monthly reports kept Session well informed of
the shortfalls in pledging commitments throughout the year, and the Session made cuts in the budget accordingly.
Joy still abounded at the end of the year, as $4,550 was collected for the Christmas Joy Offering. Thank you for
your generosity!
Thank you to Karen Dodson for joining the team as Building Treasurer. Karen has used her expertise to help Alta
refine/streamline our records for easier reconciling and auditing, as well as simplifying our building reports.
The Endowment Team made great progress on documents to establish an endowment fund at Ark and Dove and
a policy to manage that fund. They made an introduction about endowments to Session at the December meeting
and plan on having Session review and vote on the documents early in 2017. Thank you David Sparks and Julia
Kirby for lending your time and expertise as members of this team.
The Counters Team continues to be most reliable and flexible. Thank you for your dedication to this ministry
this past year: Melissa Beaudry, Tim Dewey, Matt Solomon, Karen Dodson, Paula Griggs, Kathy Miller, Cliff
Wellington, Lindsey Walker, Marci Bussey, Sue Hanburger, Claire Henderson, Alta Paronto, Brooks Emrick,
Shelley Franklin, Anne-Marie Rosenthal, Brian McCool, Kenji Nishikawa, Lisa Mezaache, and Cheryl Walcutt.
The Policy and Personnel Team
Annual reviews were conducted with our staff in the Fall. I greatly appreciate the help I received conducting
these reviews – thank you Christy Yeager, Shelley Franklin, Amy Tardiff, and Deb Saylor. An audit-survey of
our background check procedures was completed per request from State of Maryland DPSCS. My appreciation
to J Perry for his help in reviewing the requested information. Welcome to Brian McCool who has recently
answered the call to this ministry as leader of this team. Several policies are now in the process of being reviewed
and updated.
Long Range Planning Team
Thank you to Tracy Churchill for her leadership on this team, and thank you to Adell Gaurin, Erika Sealing, Scott
Howe, Pat Devers, and Thomas Ocloo for their contributions on this team. The team gathered information from
church leaders and congregants, as well as members of the surrounding community, through a Leadership Retreat,
Adult Vacation Bible School, a Congregational Survey, and a Community Survey. After reviewing and
organization the data around four themes, they presented the report to Session. On January 6-7, 2017, 22 leaders
from the church met to finalize our plan for the next three years. That plan is included later in this report.
Respectfully Submitted,
Respectfully Submitted,
Wendy Wellington, Administration Elder, [email protected]
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ARK AND DOVE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
TERMS OF CALL FOR MINISTERS
Pastor – Full time (Tim Stern) 2015 2016 Increase Notes
Salary* $83,001.00 $84,662.00 2%
SECA Allowance 6,340.65 6,476.64 2%
Pension/Medical Insurance 30,295.73 30,901.63 2% Mandated 36.5%
Education Allowance 2,500.00 2,500.00 0%
Travel Allowance 4,000.00 4,000.00 0%
Expense Allowance 2,400.00 2400.00 0%
Vacation: Five weeks (5 days are Sundays)
Education Leave: 2 weeks (2 days are Sundays)
Weekend Sabbaths: 2 weekend Sabbaths (3-day weekend – Fri, Sat and Sun)
* $60,000 of $84,662.00 is designated as Housing Allowance.
Associate Pastor – Full time (Jonathan Nelson)
2015 2016 Increase Notes
Salary ** $60,000 .00 $61,200.00 2%
SECA Allowance 4,590.00 4,681.00 2%
Pension/Medical Insurance 21,900.00 22,338.00 2% Mandated 36.5%
Education Allowance 2,000.00 2,000.00 0%
Travel Allowance 2,800.00 2,800.00 0%
Expense Allowance 1,700.00 1,700.00 0%
Vacation: one month (Presbytery minimum)
Education Leave: 2 Weeks (2 days are Sundays) Presbytery minimum
Weekend Sabbaths: 2 weekend Sabbaths (3-day weekend – Fri, Sat and Sun)
** $26,724 of $61,200.00 is designated as Housing Allowance
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STATISICAL REPORT FOR 2015
MEMBERSHIP
ACTIVE MEMBERS 12/31/2015 -----------------------------278
Gains for 2016
By reaffirmation of Faith 7
By Confirmation 6
By Baptism 0
By Certificate of Transfer 5
Affiliate membership 0
Total Gains ----------------------------------------------------------18
Subtotal 296
Losses for 2016
By Certificate of Transfer 0
Death 2
Other (moved, inactive…) 18
Total Losses--------------------------------------------------------- 20
TOTAL ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP 12/31/2016-------------276
BAPTISM
Total Baptisms in 2016-------------------------------------------- 5
NECROLOGY
Total Deaths in 2016----------------------------------------------- 2
Historical Average Worship Attendance and Church Membership Statistics
Year Avg Worship Attendance Membership Sunday School Attendance
2002 178 234
2003 172 238
2004 178 243
2005 184 239
2006 185 237
2007 182 233
2008 193 256
2009 197 260
2010 196 268 41
2011 195 271 39
2012 201 280 45
2013 199 279 38
2014 187 262 35
2015 189 278 35
2016 192 276 36
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